We heard, and Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik confirmed, that the Korean automaker will supply Chrysler with six-speed automatic transmissions for use in the new Dodge Dart. While it’s not uncommon for a manufacturer to source components from an outside supplier, it does seem a bit peculiar to see Chrysler and Hyundai pairing up again so soon after the recent split of the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA), a joint manufacturing concern the pair shared with Mitsubishi.

World Engines, Worldly Transmissions

But that peculiarity may only be on the surface. As a result of that now-dead partnership, the Dart’s updated 2.0- and 2.4-liter engines—the ones that use the six-speed automatic—are very similar to engines that Hyundai continues to use. (The Hyundai Sonata, for instance, uses a turbocharged 2.0 and a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter, both of which evolved from the GEMA program.) We suspect that Chrysler needed to quickly source a pile of six-speed autos for the sake of fuel economy—the four-speed units paired with the old versions of these engines wouldn’t have cut it—and so went with the Hyundai transmission, which should easily link up with the engines. Chrysler won’t confirm the purchase arrangement, and Hyundai isn’t offering any specifics on exactly which transmission it will sell to the Italian-Americans.

The Calibration Game

We’ve also heard that Chrysler is having some difficulty with final calibrations of the Hyundai gearbox. This got us wondering how the automaker has already arrived at the Dart’s “unadjusted combined fuel-economy rating” of 40 mpg, a miserly number that happens to be one of the metrics needed to trigger Fiat’s recent automatic five-percent ownership increase in Chrysler.

It’s possible—and, again, Chrysler is staying mum on the subject—that the 40-mpg unadjusted number comes from a 2.0- or 2.4-liter Dart with a six-speed manual, or the turbocharged 1.4-liter model and its dual-clutch automatic. And the calibrations in question could be those more specifically focused on drivability, which wouldn’t affect emissions or economy, therefore allowing the company to lock in its mileage number.

If it is indeed the Hyundai-sourced ’box used to achieve the 40-mpg number, the latter scenario just may be the case. Chrysler spokespeople won’t elaborate on the company’s findings other than to say, “All along we’ve maintained the Dart should achieve a 40-mpg highway rating, and the official EPA mileage numbers should be available sometime in March or April.” It’s important to remember the unadjusted combined fuel-economy rating is not the same as the EPA number that shoppers find on a vehicle’s window sticker, but is computed by different formulas using another set of test results.

It sounds as though Chrysler plans to realize a 40-mpg number both for the EPA highway rating and for the unadjusted combined figure. And the company will have to if it wants the Dart to appear competitive in a segment that’s quickly filling with fuel-economy specials.